Winning is the only option
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Leinster GAA Senior Hurling Championship 2026
Dublin vs Kilkenny
Parnell Park,
Sunday, 2pm
There are no equations needed, no what if scenarios, it is simple; beat Dublin on Sunday and the drive for another Leinster crown continues. It couldn’t be any clearer for Kilkenny as they go into the final round of games in this season’s Leinster senior hurling championship. With two wins from their four rounds in the season’s provincial campaign, Derek Lyng’s side need to make it three when they visit the Capital on Sunday afternoon. Other results have ensured that the round 5 games will hold the attention of many across Leinster. Sunday’s opponents grabbing a win in Salthill and Offaly’s victory over Wexford mean that nobody is sitting pretty ahead of the final set of fixtures.
Dublin are the current table toppers, sitting on seven points, Galway just behind them on six and the Cats in third place with five points. Galway visit Slaneyside on Sunday and should win to clinch a provincial final berth, their opponents Derek Lyng’s Kilkenny or Niall Ó Ceallacháin’s Dublin. So, the top two will face-off in the Leinster final, while the third placed team will head to a preliminary All-Ireland quarter final. Should the Cats fall to the Metropolitans and The Faithful County beat Kildare in Newbridge, that would see a swift end to the Noresiders season. But at this stage, it’s very much still in Kilkenny’s hands.
Sunday’s opponents are a dangerous animal and have improved further under Niall Ó Ceallacháin. The Na Fianna clubman has done some great work since taking the reins from Galway native Micheál Donoghue and has steered his side to three wins in this season’s provincial campaign. The boys in blue started things with a high scoring draw against Offaly in round one, but then went on to secure victories over Kildare, Wexford and most recently Galway. The win out west secured the Dubs place in the All-Ireland series, and it was a late goal deep in injury time from Crokes Brian Hayes that saw the Capital side claim maximum points. Sunday’s trip to Parnell Park will require Kilkenny to be prepared for the undoubted physical challenge that lies ahead, as Lyng’s men will need to win that battle to allow them to show their hurling quality.
A fair splattering of Kilmacud Crokes and Na Fianna players litter the squad, and this Dublin side has plenty of talent to accompany their controlled aggression and physicality. Clontarf’s Paddy Smyth normally mans the edge of the square, while the talented Liam Rushe is a great asset to the rearguard. Former dual star, Eoghan O’Donnell will be part of the defensive unit, injury permitting while Chris Crummey and Conor Burke are likely to be bombing forward from the half back positions. Midfield will once again prove an interesting battle, and this is one area that Kilkenny will need to be strong in and provide the platform for their attacking stars to flourish. The top scorer for the Metropolitans is normally Donal Burke, the Na Fianna man is very reliable from the placed ball, so discipline will be important on Sunday.
In the Dubs win out west, their scoring efficiency was excellent, indeed they only registered three wide’s over the 70-odd minutes and had a great impact from the bench, despite only using two subs. Ronan Hayes and John Hetherton were the men thrown into action, the former notched 1-2 while the latter assisted 1-1, fair to say a decent call from the management. With the likes of the experienced Fergal Whitely and All-Star Cian O’Sullivan roaming around, the Cats defence will need to be on their game to limit the influence of the Dublin attack.
Having experienced what appeared to be his only off day in almost 20 years against Offaly, TJ Reid was back to his best in the win last time out, notching 2-6 and looking hungry. His Ballyhale clubmate Eoin Cody will take confidence from his display against the Lilywhites; the former captain was back to his menacing best and looking sharp, hitting 1-2 in the 23-point win. Another player to finish with the same tally was Harry Shine, who returned from a nasty cruciate injury and didn’t appear too rusty in the Kildare rout. Another duo who troubled the scoreboard were Conahy’s Tom Phelan and ‘Boro’s Liam Moore, who hit 5 points between them, while Tullaroan’s Mossy Keoghan continued his fine form, finishing with 0-4.
Mikey’s Carey and Butler looked tight in defence and this allows Paddy Deegan, David Blanchfield and the classy Darragh Corcoran to contribute in an attacking sense also. Corcoran’s ability to deliver quality ball to the forward line is a great weapon while Bennettsbridge’s Blanchfield is always worth a score. Former All-Star netminder Eoin Murphy should retain the keeper’s jersey, and his calmness and experience will be needed in the pressure cooker of Parnell Park. In the absence of O’Loughlin’s Jordan Molloy in the engine room, Cian Kenny and Emeralds Killian Doyle were on duty against Brian Dowling’s side, and the latter put in a great shift. With the classy Adrian Mullen returning to the panel following injury, this provides a great boost for the Cats, hopefully the flame-haired Shamrocks man will get more minutes in the legs on Sunday. Let’s deal with the Dubs, then see if a third clash of the year with The Tribesmen awaits.
